Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, an apparatus and a system. In the method, when an AF has the requirement of requesting from a network acquisition of M exposed capabilities, the AF can send a first request message to request acquisition of the M exposed capabilities, the first request message indicating M types of data respectively corresponding to the M exposed capabilities that the AF requests to acquire, such that a core network element (for example, an NEF) that has received the request message can determine, on the basis of the M types of data indicated by the request message, the M exposed capabilities that the AF requests to acquire. Moreover, the core network element (for example, the NEF) receives the first request message sent by the AF for requesting acquisition of the M exposed capabilities, and after receiving the request for acquisition of the M exposed capabilities, the NEF may reasonably plan an operating process of the requested M exposed capabilities. The solution can reduce signaling overhead, and effectively improve the execution efficiency of networks.

Description

Communication method, device and system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on December 18, 2023, with application number 202311760693.X and application name “A Communication Method, Device and System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method, device, and system. Background Art

[0003] With the continuous development of passive internet of things (PIoT) technology, relevant discussions on PIoT have been carried out in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards. In the 3GPP standards, PIoT is called ambient internet of things (A-IoT, or AIoT).

[0004] Currently, the network exposure function (NEF) of the core network of mobile communication networks (such as fifth-generation (5G) and sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication networks) can provide multiple open capabilities. Each open capability provides corresponding services through an application programming interface (API). When a third-party application (for example, an enterprise's IoT platform) initiates an A-IoT service request to the network, it can use its application function (AF) to initiate the A-IoT service request to the API provided by the NEF and receive feedback. However, defining APIs at the granularity of open capabilities can result in significant signaling overhead. For example, A-IoT services can include multiple operations such as inventory, read and write, deactivation, and positioning, and different operations may be defined in different open capabilities. When a given AF has requirements for multiple operations simultaneously, it may need to initiate service requests to the APIs corresponding to each of these operations to complete all required operations. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method, device and system to improve the execution efficiency of the network.

[0006] In the first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a communication device. The communication device can be an NEF, or it can be a component configured in the NEF (for example, a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc.), or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the communication device. The present application does not limit this.

[0007] Exemplarily, the method includes: receiving a first request message from the AF, the first request message including M groups of information, each group of information in the M groups of information indicating an input or output data, each type of data corresponding to an open capability, each group of information being used to request acquisition of the corresponding open capability, where M is a positive integer; determining the M open capabilities corresponding to the M groups of information; and sending N second request messages to a core network element, the N second request messages corresponding to the N open capabilities, the N open capabilities being the N open capabilities that need to be executed among the M open capabilities indicated by the M groups of information, where N is a positive integer less than or equal to M.

[0008] The N open capabilities may be, for example, N open capabilities with execution permissions among the M open capabilities, and the execution permissions of the M open capabilities may be determined through authentication.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, the AF can request multiple open capabilities from the NEF via a single request message, thereby reducing signaling overhead. After receiving the request message, the NEF can determine the multiple open capabilities requested by the AF based on the multiple data types indicated in the request message. Furthermore, the NEF can rationally plan the execution order of the multiple open capabilities based on the request message, thereby improving network execution efficiency.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, each set of information further indicates an operation object associated with the data, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or an area identifier.

[0011] The device ID is used to identify a device, and each device has a unique device ID. The group ID is used to identify different groups. Multiple devices can form a group, and each device in each group has the same group ID. The region ID is used to identify different regions, and different regions have different coverage areas.

[0012] In other words, the above-mentioned operation objects include one or more of the following: device identification, group identification or area identification, or can be replaced by the operation objects including one or more of the following: the device identified by the device identification, the device within the group identified by the group identification or the device within the area coverage identified by the area identification.

[0013] By further indicating the operation objects associated with the M groups of data in the M group information in the first request message, the AF can flexibly indicate different operation objects for different requested open capabilities.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, each set of information further indicates an execution time associated with the data, where the execution time includes: immediately, at a scheduled time, or periodically.

[0015] The execution time is used to indicate the time for requesting the execution of the open capability to be executed. The execution time depends on the first request message sent by the AF to the NEF.

[0016] The time for executing the open capability can be immediate, at a scheduled future time, or periodically.

[0017] When the information included in the first request message further includes the execution time associated with the M groups of data, the execution time helps the core network element determine the specific time when the M open capabilities need to be executed.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the M groups of information include one or more groups of information for requesting open capabilities for reading data and / or writing data, and each group of information in the one or more groups of information also indicates an operating area associated with the data.

[0019] By indicating the operation area, the operation of reading data and / or writing data can be further constrained.

[0020] Optionally, the operation area includes one or more of the following: a storage area of ​​the operation object, a starting position or length of the operation.

[0021] Accordingly, the indication of the operation area includes an indication of one or more of the following: a storage area of ​​the operation object, a starting position or a length of the operation.

[0022] For the description of the operation objects, please refer to the above text and will not be repeated here.

[0023] The storage area of ​​the operation object can be a storage area in the storage space of the operation object, or a type of storage area in the storage space of the operation object. The starting position of the operation is the starting position of the operation in the indicated storage area, and the length of the operation can refer to the number of bits of continuous operation.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, N>1, and the sending of N second request messages to the core network network element includes: sending the N second request messages to the core network network element according to a preconfigured execution order, and the execution order indicates the order of executing multiple open capabilities.

[0025] That is, NEF determines the execution order of multiple open capabilities by itself.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, N>1, each group of information also indicates a sequence number, and the sequence number indicated by each group of information represents the execution order of the requested open capability among the M types of requested open capabilities indicated by the M groups of information; sending N second request messages to the core network network element includes: determining the execution order of the N types of open capabilities according to the sequence number indicated by each group of information; and sending the N second request messages to the core network network element in sequence according to the execution order of the N types of open capabilities.

[0027] That is, the AF indicates the execution order of M types of open capabilities.

[0028] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the M open capabilities include one or more of the following: inventory, reading data, writing data, deactivation, or positioning.

[0029] Different open capabilities can be used to request different services from the network to meet different business needs. AIoT can request multiple open capabilities from the network, and different open capabilities correspond to different data types.

[0030] For example, the data type corresponding to inventory is the device identification and / or the number of devices. The number of devices can be implicitly represented by the device identification obtained through statistics; the data type corresponding to read data is the data stored in the device; the data type corresponding to write data is the data to be written; the data type corresponding to deactivation is the device status; the data type corresponding to positioning is the device location, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0031] It is understandable that other open capabilities may also correspond to different data types. By expanding different open capabilities, the scalability of network open capabilities can be improved.

[0032] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the first request message includes: a structure requesting an output operation and / or a structure requesting an input operation; the requested output operation includes one or more of the following: the inventory, the reading of data, or the positioning, and the requested input operation includes one or more of the following: the writing of data or the deactivation; in the M group of information, the M1 group of information indicating the requested input operation is included in the structure requesting the input operation, and the M2 group of information indicating the requested output operation is included in the structure requesting the output operation, M=M1+M2, and M1 and M2 are integers greater than or equal to 0.

[0033] The M1 requested input operations may be represented by one or M1 requested input operation structures, and the M2 requested output operations may be represented by one or M2 requested output operation structures, which is not limited in this application.

[0034] Furthermore, the structure may also include one or more of the following: operation objects associated with the M groups of data, and execution times and sequence numbers associated with the M groups of data.

[0035] Based on the first request message, the AF can request multiple open capabilities from the core network element, thereby improving network execution efficiency.

[0036] On the second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a communication device. The communication device can be an AF, or it can be a component configured in the AF (for example, a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc.), or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the communication device. The present application does not limit this.

[0037] Exemplarily, the method includes: generating a first request message, the first request message including M groups of information, each group of information in the M groups of information indicating a type of input or output data, each type of data corresponding to an open capability, each group of information being used to request the corresponding open capability, and M being a positive integer; sending the first request message to the network open function NEF.

[0038] Based on the above technical solution, the AF can request multiple open capabilities from the NEF by sending a request message to the NEF. The request message can indicate the data types corresponding to the multiple open capabilities. After receiving the request message, the NEF can determine the multiple open capabilities requested by the AF based on the data types, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0039] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, each set of information further indicates an operation object associated with the data, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or an area identifier.

[0040] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, each set of information further indicates an execution time of the data association, where the execution time includes: immediately, at a scheduled time, or periodically.

[0041] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the M groups of information include one or more groups of information for requesting open capabilities for reading data and / or writing data, and each group of information in the one or more groups of information also indicates an operating area associated with the data.

[0042] Optionally, the operation area includes one or more of the following: a storage area of ​​an operation object, a starting position or length of an operation, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or an area identifier.

[0043] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, M>1, each group of information also indicates a serial number, the serial number indicated by each group of information represents the execution order of the requested open capability among the M types of requested open capabilities indicated by the M groups of information, and the serial number is used to determine the execution order of the M types of open capabilities.

[0044] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the M open capabilities include one or more of the following: inventory, reading data, writing data, deactivation, or positioning.

[0045] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the first request message includes: a structure requesting an output operation and / or a structure requesting an input operation; the requested output operation includes one or more of the following: the inventory, the reading of data, or the positioning, and the requested input operation includes one or more of the following: the writing of data or the deactivation; in the M group of information, the M1 group of information indicating the requested input operation is included in the structure requesting the input operation, and the M2 group of information indicating the requested output operation is included in the structure requesting the output operation, M=M1+M2, and M1 and M2 are integers greater than or equal to 0.

[0046] For details on possible implementation methods of the second aspect, please refer to the relevant description in the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0047] On the third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a communication device. The communication device can be an NEF, or it can be a component configured in the NEF (for example, a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc.), or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the communication device. The present application does not limit this.

[0048] Exemplarily, the method includes: receiving a third request message from AF, wherein the third request message is used to request an open capability for a read operation or a write operation, and the third request message indicates an operation area of ​​data associated with the open capability, and the operation area includes one or more of the following: a storage area of ​​the data, a starting position or length of the operation.

[0049] Based on the above technical solution, AF clarifies more specific requirements for reading or writing data by indicating one or more of the data storage area, the starting position or the length of the operation in the third request message. Since the AIoT device itself may not be smart enough, indicating the operation area through the third request message is conducive to improving execution efficiency.

[0050] In combination with the third aspect, in some possible implementations of the third aspect, the third request message further indicates an operation object associated with the open capability, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or an area identifier.

[0051] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations of the third aspect, the third request message further indicates an execution time of the open capability association, where the execution time includes: immediately, at a scheduled time, or periodically.

[0052] In combination with the third aspect, in some possible implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: sending the third request message to a core network element.

[0053] For details on possible implementation methods of the third aspect, please refer to the relevant description in the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0054] Fourthly, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a communication device. The communication device may be an AF, or a component configured in the AF (for example, a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the communication device. The present application does not limit this.

[0055] Exemplarily, the method includes: generating a third request message, the third request message being used to request an open capability for a read operation or a write operation, the third request message indicating an operation area of ​​data associated with the open capability, the operation area including one or more of the following: a storage area of ​​the data, a starting position or length of the operation; and sending the third request message to the NEF.

[0056] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations of the fourth aspect, the third request message further indicates an execution time associated with the open capability, where the execution time includes: immediately, at a scheduled time, or periodically.

[0057] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: sending the third request message to a core network element.

[0058] For details on possible implementation methods of the fourth aspect, please refer to the relevant description in the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0059] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising modules or units for implementing the method in the first or third aspect and any possible implementation of the first or third aspect. Each module or unit can implement the corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0060] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method described in the first or third aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first or third aspect.

[0061] The apparatus may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the methods described in the above aspects may be implemented. The apparatus may further include a communication interface for communicating between the apparatus and other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0062] Illustratively, the device in the fifth aspect or the sixth aspect is NEF, or a component in NEF, such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.

[0063] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a chip system comprising at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in the above-mentioned first or third aspect and any possible implementation of the first or third aspect, for example, receiving or processing the data and / or messages involved in the above-mentioned method.

[0064] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located inside or outside the processor.

[0065] The chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0066] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising modules or units for implementing the method in the second or fourth aspect and any possible implementation of the second or fourth aspect. Each module or unit can implement the corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0067] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method described in the second or fourth aspect and any possible implementation of the second or fourth aspect.

[0068] The apparatus may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the methods described in the above aspects may be implemented. The apparatus may further include a communication interface for communicating between the apparatus and other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0069] Illustratively, the device in the eighth aspect or the ninth aspect is an AF, or a component in an AF, such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.

[0070] In the tenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system comprising at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in the above-mentioned second or fourth aspect and any possible implementation of the second or fourth aspect, for example, receiving or processing the data and / or messages involved in the above-mentioned method.

[0071] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located inside or outside the processor.

[0072] The chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0073] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to implement the method in the first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0074] In the twelfth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when run, enables the computer to execute the method in the first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0075] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including the aforementioned NEF and AMF. Optionally, the communication system also includes an AF.

[0076] The fifth to thirteenth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first to fourth aspects of this application. The beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0077] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a network system architecture applicable to the method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an end-to-end architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a logical interface between an NEF and an AF applicable to the method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of an AF initiating a service request with an NEF through an API according to a method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG5 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of an AF request network provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG7 is another schematic diagram of an AF request network provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] FIG8 is another schematic diagram of an AF request network provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0086] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are first explained:

[0087] First, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially identical functions and effects. For example, the first request message and the second request message are merely used to distinguish different request messages and do not limit their order or the number of signaling messages. Those skilled in the art will understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the number or execution order, and that terms such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily indicate differences.

[0088] Second, the "sending" and "receiving" in the embodiments of the present application indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending a first request message to NEF" can be understood as the destination end of the information is NEF, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also includes indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving feedback information from a wireless access network device" can be understood as the source end of the feedback information is the wireless access network device, which can include receiving directly from the wireless access network device through the air interface, and also includes receiving indirectly from the wireless access network device point through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0089] Third, in the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Among them, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0090] Fourth, in the embodiments of the present application, "when", "if" and "if" all mean that the device will perform corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, which does not limit the time, nor does it require that the device must perform a judgment action when it is implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0091] The technical solution provided in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0092] The method provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system or new radio access technology (NR). Among them, the 5G mobile communication system may include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) networking.

[0093] The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to machine type communication (MTC), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M), device-to-device (D2D) network, machine-to-machine (M2M) network, Internet of Things (IoT) network or other networks. Among them, the IoT network can include, for example, the Internet of Vehicles. Among them, the communication mode in the Internet of Vehicles system is collectively referred to as vehicle to other devices (vehicle to X, V2X, X can represent anything) system, for example, the V2X can include: vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle to pedestrian (V2P) communication or vehicle to network (V2N) communication, etc.

[0094] The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0095] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a network system architecture applicable to the method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the network system architecture mainly includes: terminal equipment, radio access network (RAN) equipment and core network equipment.

[0096] Terminal equipment may also be called user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device.

[0097] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver functions. The terminal device can communicate with one or more core network (CN) devices (or core devices) via an access network device (or access device) in a wireless access network. The terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water (such as a ship, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as an airplane, a balloon, and a satellite, etc.). In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may be a terminal device in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. For example, the terminal device may be an A-IoT device. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. The connection can be through broadband technology or narrowband (NB) technology. IoT technology can achieve massive connections, deep coverage, and terminal power saving through, for example, narrowband technology.

[0098] In one possible implementation, each A-IoT device can be identified by a tag. Therefore, an A-IoT device can also be called a tag. Operations on an A-IoT device can also be called operations on the tag.

[0099] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal device or used in combination with the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices. In the embodiments of the present application, only the terminal device is used as an example for description, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0100] The terminal device in this application can be a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, a software function running on general-purpose hardware, or a virtualized device, for example, implemented by general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or by dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. The general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0101] In the embodiments of the present application, a radio access network device can be any device with wireless transceiver capabilities. A radio access network device can provide wireless communication services and connect terminal devices to a wireless network. A radio access network can also be referred to as an access network device or a network device. A radio access network device can also be referred to as a RAN node or an access network device.

[0102] In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node may be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node, or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Optionally, a RAN node may also be a server.

[0103] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0104] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN) system, CU may also be called open CU (O-CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0105] The core network functions of mobile communication networks (such as 5G, 6G, etc.) include: registration and connection management of terminal devices, session management and other functions. The core network network elements mainly include NEF, policy control function (PCF), AF, access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function module (SMF), user plane function (UPF), unified data management (UDM), authentication server function (AUSF) and data network (DN), etc.

[0106] The NEF can be used to open services and capabilities provided by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network function (NF) to the AF, while also obtaining external application information from the AF. In other words, the NEF can provide interfaces, such as APIs, for third-party applications.

[0107] PCF mainly performs policy control on quality of service (QoS) and charging.

[0108] The AF primarily communicates application-side requests to the network and can be considered an application server or an application server proxy. It can provide certain application-layer services to terminal devices. When providing services to terminal devices, the AF has requirements for billing and QoS policies, which it must notify the network of. Furthermore, the AF requires core network devices to provide feedback on application-related information.

[0109] The AMF mainly performs functions such as mobility management and access authentication / authorization. In addition, the AMF network element is also responsible for transmitting user policies between terminal devices and PCF network elements.

[0110] SMF mainly performs session management, allocation and management of Internet Protocol addresses (IP addresses) of user devices, and UPF selection.

[0111] The UPF is primarily used for packet routing and forwarding, policy and QoS processing, and usage reporting. The UPF is a DN-supported interface that performs user-plane data forwarding, session- and flow-level billing and statistics, and bandwidth limiting. User data can be sent to data networks (such as the Internet) through this network element.

[0112] UDM mainly handles access authentication, user identification, authentication / authorization, mobility and mobility management.

[0113] AUSF mainly provides 3GPP and non-3GPP unified access authentication services.

[0114] DN mainly provides business services to users.

[0115] Network elements communicate with each other through interfaces. For example, the interface between the NEF and AF is the N33 interface. The signaling plane interface between the terminal device and the AMF is the N1 interface. Since the terminal device cannot interact directly with the core network equipment, it must transparently transmit non-access stratum (NAS) information through the access stratum (AS). The signaling plane interface through which the AMF requests the access network (AN) to allocate resources for the protocol data unit (PDU) session is the N2 interface.

[0116] The above description of the various network elements in the core network and the interfaces between them is merely illustrative and does not constitute any limitation on this application. Furthermore, the various network elements shown in the figure can be understood as network elements used to implement different functions in the core network, for example, they can be combined into network slices as needed. These core network elements can be independent devices or integrated into the same device to implement different functions. This application does not limit the specific form of these network elements.

[0117] It can be understood that the network elements used in future communication systems can be the above-mentioned network elements, or can be network elements with other names that have the same or similar functions. This application does not limit this.

[0118] In the embodiments of the present application, access network devices and core network elements may be collectively referred to as network devices. The device used to implement the functions of the network device may be a network device; it may also be a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit and a software module. The device may be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device. The embodiments of the present application are described using the network device as an example, and do not limit the embodiments of the present application.

[0119] The network device in this application can be a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, a software function running on general-purpose hardware, or a virtualized device, for example, implemented by general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or by dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. The general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0120] In addition, Figure 1 exemplarily shows the interfaces between various network elements. For example, the terminal device and the radio access network device communicate via the Uu interface, the radio access network device and the AMF can communicate via the N2 interface, etc., which are not detailed here and are not limited in this application.

[0121] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an end-to-end architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. The architecture diagram shown in Figure 2 may include: a terminal device, a wireless access network, a core network, and an AF.

[0122] Figure 2 shows the AF as a device deployed outside the core network, but this should not constitute any limitation to this application. The AF in the embodiments of the present application can be a device deployed outside the core network, for example, a third-party application (such as an IoT platform in an enterprise network), or it can be a network element deployed in the core network, such as the AF shown in Figure 1 above, which is not limited in this application. The AF can obtain various capabilities provided by the network through the core network network element (such as the NEF in 5G and 6G).

[0123] It should be understood that the various devices shown in Figure 2 are merely examples and do not limit the number of network elements included in the system shown in Figure 2. In addition, the method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the system shown in Figure 2. Of course, the method provided in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0124] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the logical interface between the NEF and the AF applicable to the method provided in an embodiment of the present application. For example, the AF can interact with the NEF via the N33 interface defined in the 3GPP standard. For example, the AF can initiate a request to the NEF via the N33 interface. After receiving the request, the NEF can execute the corresponding process requested by the AF and, after completion, provide feedback to the AF via the N33 interface.

[0125] It should be noted that the N33 interface is the reference point between NEF and AF in the 5G architecture. In the 5G architecture based on the service interface, the service interface between NEF and AF is the N33 interface defined in the 3GPP standard. nef Interface, therefore, it can also be said that AF can be used through N nefThe interface interacts with NEF. The names of these interfaces are only examples, and this application does not exclude the definition of interfaces with other names in future standards to replace N33 interface or N nef Interface possible.

[0126] The NEF in the core network can provide the AF with externally exposed network capabilities (hereinafter referred to as open capabilities). Such open capabilities include, but are not limited to, monitoring capabilities, provisioning capabilities, policy / charging capabilities, and analytics reporting capabilities. The core network can also authenticate and authorize the AF's request for network capabilities. For example, when the core network receives a request message from the AF, it can determine whether the AF's request message is acceptable through authentication.

[0127] The NEF can also input information provided by the AF to the network side. For example, after receiving a request message for an A-IoT service from the AF, the NEF can select a radio access network device based on the information carried in the request message and further request the radio access network device to trigger the A-IoT air interface process.

[0128] It should be understood that NEF is a possible network element in the core network that can provide open capabilities to the outside, but it should not constitute any limitation to this application. NEF can also be replaced by other network elements in the core network that can provide open capabilities.

[0129] Figure 4 shows how the AF initiates a service request with the NEF through an API. The AF can initiate a service request to the NEF through the N33 interface. The NEF supports externally exposed network capabilities through the provided APIs, and each API can be used to provide a network capability.

[0130] The NEF can receive service requests from one or more AFs (such as AF 1 through AF 3 shown in the figure), meaning it can be open to one or more AFs. The NEF can provide multiple different APIs to receive different service requests from different AFs. As shown in Figure 4, AF 1 can initiate a service request to the NEF via API 1, AF 2 can initiate different service requests via API 3 and API n, and AF 3 can initiate different service requests to the NEF via API 1, API 2, and API 3. When the NEF's APIs receive service requests, they can provide corresponding services to the AFs based on the open capabilities provided by each API.

[0131] However, in AIoT business scenarios, the AF may need to obtain multiple open capabilities. If APIs are defined based on open capabilities, obtaining multiple open capabilities requires calling multiple APIs. Each API call requires the AF to send a service request to obtain the corresponding open capability. Therefore, the AF may need to send a service request for each open capability. This may result in significant signaling overhead.

[0132] In view of this, the present application provides a method that, when an AF needs to obtain multiple open capabilities, indicates, through a request message, the data types corresponding to the multiple open capabilities requested by the AF. This allows the core network element (such as the NEF) that receives the request message to determine the multiple open capabilities requested by the AF based on the multiple data types indicated in the request message, thereby reducing signaling overhead. Furthermore, by requesting multiple open capabilities through a single request message, the core network element (such as the NEF) can reasonably plan the operation process after receiving the request to obtain multiple open capabilities, thereby improving the execution efficiency of the service.

[0133] The method provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0134] Figures 5 to 7 are schematic flow charts of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figures 5 to 7 illustrate the communication method provided in this application using the interaction between the AF, NEF, AMF, wireless access network, and terminal device as examples, but this does not constitute any limitation on this application. In the embodiment of this application, for ease of distinction, the method is described using the NEF and AMF as two examples of core network elements. The NEF can be used to provide services and capabilities provided by 3GPP NFs to the AF and can obtain external application information from the AF. The AMF is a network element that supports AIoT services and can be used to transmit information and / or data between the NEF and wireless access network devices. The NEF and AMF can also be replaced with other core network elements as long as they can achieve the same or similar functions. For example, the AMF can also be replaced with an AIoT NF network element. The AF can be a network element deployed in the core network or a device deployed outside the core network, and this application does not limit this.

[0135] 5 describes the method provided by the present application in more detail. FIG6 and FIG7 describe the specific implementation process of the method by taking different first request messages and different open capabilities as examples for ease of understanding.

[0136] 5 , the communication method 500 shown in FIG5 may include steps 501 to 509. Each step in the method 500 is described in detail below.

[0137] In step 501, the AF generates a first request message.

[0138] In an embodiment of the present application, the first request message may include M (M is a positive integer) groups of information, each of which may indicate a type of input or output data. The type of data may specifically refer to a type of data. The data types indicated by any two groups of information in the M groups of information may be the same or different. The M groups of information may be used to indicate one or more types of data requested to be input and / or output.

[0139] Exemplarily, the data type may include: device identification, device quantity, device location, data stored in the device, data to be written, or device status. The term "device" refers to a terminal device. For example, the terminal device may be an AIoT device, which can be identified by a tag. In other words, the device identification of the AIoT device is the tag identification.

[0140] Furthermore, the data type requested for input may include, for example, data to be written, a device status, etc. The data to be written may be data to be written to a terminal device, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the data type of the data to be written. The device status may indicate the status of the terminal device, for example, whether the terminal device is in a deactivated state.

[0141] The data type requested for output may include, for example, device identification, device location, number of devices, and data stored in the device. The device identification is used to identify the terminal device, and each terminal device has a unique identification. The number of devices may be, for example, the number of terminal devices within a certain area. The data stored in the device may be, for example, information pre-stored in the storage space of the terminal device (e.g., a tag) (e.g., information about attached items).

[0142] In this embodiment of the present application, each data type may correspond to an open capability. Therefore, the M types of data indicated by the M groups of information in the first request message may be used to indicate the M open capabilities that the AF requests to obtain. Each open capability may be an operation. For example, in an AIoT service scenario, the operation may be, for example, inventory, positioning, reading data, writing data, deactivation, etc., which the present application includes but is not limited to. Therefore, the AF may request to obtain M open capabilities through the first request message, or in other words, request the network to perform M operations.

[0143] For example, the AF pre-stores a correspondence between various data and various open capabilities. For ease of description, this correspondence between various data and various open capabilities is referred to as a first mapping relationship. An example of the first mapping relationship is shown in Table 1 below.

[0144] Table 1

[0145] As shown in Table 1, when the AF requests an inventory, the corresponding data type may be the device identifier and / or the number of devices, where the number of devices can be obtained by counting the acquired device identifiers; when the AF requests a read, the corresponding data type may be the data stored in the device; when the AF requests a write, the corresponding data type may be the data to be written; when the AF requests a positioning, the corresponding data type may be the device location; when the AF requests a deactivation, the corresponding data type may be the device status, etc. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0146] After determining the open capabilities to be requested, the AF can determine the data type corresponding to each open capability based on the first mapping relationship, and then generate M groups of information indicating the data types corresponding to the M groups of open capabilities based on the data types corresponding to each open capability, thereby obtaining the first request message.

[0147] In one possible design, the first request message includes: a structure requesting an output operation and / or a structure requesting an input operation.

[0148] The requested output operation may include one or more of the following: storing, reading data, or positioning; and the requested input operation may include one or more of the following: writing data or deactivating.

[0149] In the M group information, the M1 group information indicating the request for input operation can be included in the structure of the request for input operation, and the M2 group information indicating the request for output operation can be included in the structure of the request for output operation, M=M1+M2, M1 and M2 are integers greater than or equal to 0.

[0150] For example, AF requests to obtain output data. The structure of the output operation request is as follows:

[0151] output(datatype=device ID): indicates that the data type of the requested output is the device ID.

[0152] Specifically, in the structure shown in the example above, "output" indicates a request for an output operation, and "datatype" indicates the type of data requested, which can include: "device ID," "amount of device," "device location," or "stored data." The "datatype = device ID" in the example above is just an example; "device ID" can also be replaced with "device location," "stored data," or any two or more of the following: "device ID," "amount of device," "device location," "stored data," and so on. "Device ID" indicates the device identifier, "amount of device" indicates the number of devices, "device location" indicates the location of the device, and "stored data" indicates the data stored in the device.

[0153] In another example, AF requests input data. The structure of the request input operation is as follows:

[0154] input(datatype=metadata): requests to write the data to be written into the terminal device.

[0155] Specifically, in the example structure above, "input" indicates a request for an input operation, and "datatype" indicates the type of data requested, which can be "metadata" or "device state." "Metadata" indicates the data to be written, and "device state" indicates the device status.

[0156] Optionally, each set of information further indicates the operation objects associated with the M types of data, or in other words, each set of information further includes indications of the operation objects associated with the M types of data, or in other words, each set of information further includes the operation objects associated with the M types of data. The operation objects associated with the M types of data are the operation objects that need to execute the M open capabilities corresponding to the M types of data. Exemplarily, the operation objects may include one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or a region identifier.

[0157] The device identification is the identification of the terminal device, which can be used to identify a terminal device. The device identification of each terminal device is unique, so the object on which the operation needs to be performed can be determined to be the terminal device based on the device identification.

[0158] The operation object can be one device identifier or multiple device identifiers, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0159] Group IDs are used to identify different groups, and each group ID identifies a group. A group is a collection of one or more terminal devices. By defining a group, you can organize one or more terminal devices together, making it easier to manage and authorize the terminal devices within the group.

[0160] The area identifier is used to identify different area coverage ranges, and each area identifier can be used to represent an area. The area identifier can be an area identifier of a geographical area or an area identifier of a network area. The geographical area indicates the geographical range of coverage, for example, the geographical range can be divided according to administrative regions, and different administrative regions can be distinguished by different administrative region codes. The network area indicates the range of network coverage, for example, the network area can be a cell (cell) or a tracking area (TA). Different cells can be distinguished by cell identifiers (cell IDs), and different TAs can be distinguished by different tracking area codes (TACs).

[0161] It is understood that the operation object includes one or more of a device identifier, a group identifier, or a region identifier, or that the indication of the operation object includes one or more of a device identifier, a group identifier, or a region identifier. In other words, the operation object includes one or more of the following: a terminal device or multiple terminal devices, terminal devices within one or more groups, or terminal devices within one or more regions.

[0162] In one example, the first request message includes M sets of information, each of which indicates a type of output data and an operation object associated with the M types of data. When the requested output data type is device location and the operation object associated with the M types of data is device identification, the structure of the requested output operation is represented as follows:

[0163] output(datatype=device location, filter=device ID) indicates a request to obtain the location information of the terminal device whose device identifier is “device ID”.

[0164] "output" indicates the requested output data, "datatype=device location" indicates the requested output data type is the device location, and "filter" indicates further restrictions based on the requested output or input data type, such as the operation target. In this example, "filter=device ID" indicates that the operation target is the device ID, that is, the operation target is the terminal device identified by the device ID.

[0165] In another example, the first request message includes M groups of information, each of which indicates a type of data requested for output and an object of an operation to be performed. When the data type of the requested output is the device location, and the objects of the operation to be performed are the device identifier and the region identifier, the structure of the requested output operation is represented as follows:

[0166] output(datatype=device location, filter 1=device ID, filter 2=area A) indicates a request to obtain the location information of the terminal device with the device ID “device ID” within the coverage of the area ID “area A”.

[0167] Among them, "output" indicates the data requested for output; "datatype=device location" indicates that the data type requested for output is the device location; "filter n" indicates further limitations based on the data type requested for output or input, such as limitations on the operation object. In this example, "filter 1=device ID" indicates that the operation object to be performed is the device identifier, that is, the operation object is the terminal device identified by the device identifier; "filter 2="area A" indicates that the operation object to be performed is the area identifier A, that is, the operation object is the terminal device within the coverage of the area represented by the area identifier A. "Area A" can be, for example, "cell ID 1" or "TA ID 1". Among them, "cell ID 1" indicates the area with cell identifier 1, and "TA ID 1" indicates the area with tracking area identifier 1.

[0168] In another example, the first request message includes M groups of information, each of which indicates a type of data requested for input or output and an object of an operation to be performed. When the data type of the requested input is data to be written, and the object of the operation to be performed is a group identifier and a region identifier, the structure of the requested output operation is represented as follows:

[0169] input(datatype=metadata(group ID), filter=area A) indicates a request to write the group ID "group ID" to terminal devices within the coverage area of ​​area A.

[0170] "input" indicates the requested input data; "datatype=metadata(group ID)" indicates that the requested input data type is data to be written, and the data to be written is a "group ID," meaning a request to write the group ID to the terminal device; and "filter" indicates further restrictions based on the requested output or input data type, such as the operation target. In this example, "filter=area A" indicates that the operation target is area ID A, that is, the operation targets terminal devices within the area covered by area ID A.

[0171] Furthermore, when the information contained in the first request message does not indicate the operation object that needs to be executed, the NEF can pre-define a device with a certain device identifier as the operation object that needs to be executed, or it can pre-define the devices contained in a certain area as the operation object that needs to be executed, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0172] Optionally, each set of information further indicates the execution time associated with the M types of data, or in other words, each set of information further includes an indication of the execution time associated with each of the M types of data, or in other words, each set of information further includes the execution time associated with each of the M types of data. The execution time can be used to indicate when the requested open capability is to be executed. Exemplarily, the execution time includes: immediately, at a scheduled time, or periodically.

[0173] Among them, "immediately" means requesting to execute the open capability that needs to be executed immediately, for example, executing the requested open capability immediately at the current time; "appointment time" means requesting to execute the open capability that needs to be executed at a certain time in the future, for example, requesting to execute the requested open capability in 5 minutes; "cycle" means requesting to execute the open capability that needs to be executed periodically, for example, executing the requested open capability that needs to be executed in sequence with time T as the cycle.

[0174] As an example, in the M groups of information included in the first request message, each group of information indicates a type of output data and the execution time to be executed. When the data type of the request output is device location and the execution time to be executed is immediate, the structure of the request output operation is expressed as follows: output(datatype=device location, filter=immediate), and the structure of the request output indicates a request to immediately execute the open capability of positioning to obtain the location information of the terminal device. The terminal device can be one or more terminal devices corresponding to one or more device identifiers predefined by NEF, or it can be a terminal device included in a certain area predefined by NEF. This application does not limit this.

[0175] "output" indicates the requested output data, "datatype=device location" indicates the requested output data type is the device location, and "filter" specifies further restrictions based on the requested output or input data type, such as an execution time limit. In this example, "filter=immediate" indicates that the requested execution time is immediate.

[0176] In another example, the first request message includes M sets of information, each set of information indicating a type of output data, an operation object to be performed, and a desired execution time. When the requested output data type is the device location, the operation object device identifier to be performed, and the desired execution time is a scheduled time, the structure of the requested output operation is represented as follows:

[0177] output(datatype=device location, filter 1=device ID, filter 2=scheduled time) indicates a request to execute the open capability indicating positioning at the scheduled time to obtain the location information of the terminal device with the device identifier "device ID".

[0178] "output" indicates the requested output data, "datatype=device location" indicates the requested output data type is the device location, and "filter" specifies further restrictions based on the requested output or input data type, such as the operation target or execution time. In this example, "filter 1=device ID" indicates the operation target is the device ID, and "filter 2=scheduled time" indicates the execution time is the scheduled time.

[0179] When, among the M groups of information requesting an input or output operation, there is one or more groups of information whose requested input data type is data to be written and / or whose requested output data type is data stored in the device, that is, the one or more groups of information can be used to request the execution of a write data operation and / or a read data operation. In this case, in addition to indicating the data to be read or written (hereinafter referred to as target data for convenience of explanation, it can be understood that the target data belongs to input or output data), each group of information in the one or more groups of information can also indicate the operation area associated with the target data, or in other words, it also includes an indication of the operation area associated with the target data, or in other words, it also includes the operation area associated with the target data. The operation area associated with the target data is the operation area where the open capability corresponding to the group of information needs to be executed. It should be noted that the operation area refers to the area within the storage space of the terminal device, which is different from the area identified by the area identifier mentioned above.

[0180] Exemplarily, the operation area includes one or more of the following: a storage area of ​​an operation object, a starting position or length of the operation. Accordingly, the indication of the operation area may include an indication of one or more of the following: a storage area of ​​an operation object, a starting position or length of the operation.

[0181] As mentioned above, the operation object includes a terminal device. The operation area is explained below using the terminal device as an example.

[0182] The storage area of ​​the terminal device can be a storage area of ​​the terminal device, or a type of storage area of ​​the terminal device, for example, a database storage area, a file storage area, a fixed storage area or an advanced storage area, etc., and this application does not limit this. Each storage area can be indicated by a corresponding identifier. Exemplarily, one or more (or one or more types of) memory banks can be configured in the storage space of the terminal device, and the memory bank can be understood as a physical storage body. Each memory bank can be indicated by a corresponding identifier.

[0183] The starting position of an operation is the starting position of the operation in the indicated storage area. The starting position of the operation can be indicated by an offset between the specified starting position and a reference position. The reference position can be, for example, the first bit of the specified storage area. For example, the indication of the starting position of the operation is offset = x, which means that the xth bit counting from the first bit in the specified storage area is the starting position, or in other words, the starting position of the operation is offset by x bits relative to the first bit in the storage area, and the read data operation or write data operation is performed starting from the xth bit.

[0184] It should be understood that the number of bits in the storage area of ​​the terminal device can be measured in bits. For example, the first bit in the storage area can be the first bit in the storage area, and so on. This application does not limit this. For example, it can also be divided in bytes, or in other units, which are not listed here.

[0185] The length of an operation can refer to the number of bits of data that are continuously being read or written, for example, starting from the highest bit indicated by the start position of the operation. The minimum value of the operation length can be 1, indicating that the AF requests to read one bit of data stored in the terminal device. For example, if the operation length is indicated as length = y, then data of length y will be read or written, starting from the start position of the operation in the specified storage area. If measured in bits, this means that data of length y will be read or written.

[0186] One possible scenario is that a certain group of information requests the execution of a data write operation and carries the data to be written. The length of the above operation may be greater than the data length of the data to be written, may be equal to the data length of the data to be written, or may be less than the data length of the data to be written. When the length of the operation is greater than the data length of the data to be written, the terminal device that receives the data to be written may pad the data to be written with zeros to achieve a length equal to the length of the operation. When the length of the operation is less than the data length of the data to be written, the terminal device that receives the data to be written may write the data to be written to a specified location according to the length of the operation and terminate at the specified length of the operation. In other words, the terminal device may write part of the data to be written (i.e., part of the data equal to the length of the operation) to a specified location according to the length of the operation.

[0187] It should be understood that the indication of the operation area may also be optional. For example, the storage area of ​​the terminal device may be determined according to the default configuration, which may be, for example, a designated storage repository in the storage space of the terminal device, such as the first one, or others. For another example, the starting position of the operation may also be determined according to the default configuration, which may be, for example, the first position in a storage area, or others. For another example, the length of the operation may also be determined according to the default configuration, which may be, for example: for a read data operation, the length of the operation is 10 bytes, or other lengths; for a write data operation, the length of the operation is the length of the data to be written, or other lengths, and this application does not limit this. As an example, one group of information in the M groups of information included in the first request message is used to request that the output data be the data stored in the device, that is, request to read the data stored in the terminal device. The structure of the request output operation is represented as follows:

[0188] output(datatype=stored data, filter=area A, memory bank=2, offset=8, length=20) indicates a request to read the second or second type of storage memory in the terminal device within the area identified as area A, starting with the eighth bit from the first bit as the starting position of the operation and reading the subsequent 20 bits of data.

[0189] Among them, "output" indicates the data requested to be output; "datatype=storeddata" indicates that the data type requested to be output is the data stored in the device; "filter=area A" indicates that the operation object to be performed is the terminal device within the area range of area identifier A. "memory bank=2" indicates a request to read the data stored in the second or second type of storage area of ​​the terminal device, and "memory bank" indicates the storage area of ​​the device; "offset=8" indicates that the starting position of the request to perform the read data operation has an 8-bit offset relative to the first bit of the specified storage area; "length=20" indicates a request to read 20 bits of data continuously starting from the highest bit of the specified starting position. "memory bank=2", "offset=8" and "length=20" in the above example are only examples, and this application does not limit them.

[0190] For another example, the structure of the request input operation is represented as follows:

[0191] input(datatype=metadata, filter=device ID, memory bank=4, offset=5, length=10, data) indicates a request to write 10 bits of metadata "data" starting from the starting position of the storage area and accumulating to the 5th position in the 4th or 4th type storage area of ​​the terminal device identified as "device ID".

[0192] Among them, "input" indicates the data requested for input; "datatype=metadata" indicates that the data type requested for input is data to be written; "filter=device ID" indicates that the operation object to be performed is the device identifier "device ID", that is, the operation object is the terminal device identified by the device identifier; "memory bank=4" indicates a request to read the data stored in the 4th or 4th type of storage area of ​​the terminal device; "offset=5" indicates that the starting position of the request to perform the data read operation has a 4-bit offset relative to the first bit of the specified storage area; "length=10" indicates that the request starts from the highest bit of the specified starting position, and the data length of the data to be written that can be continuously written to the device is 10.

[0193] "data" represents the data to be written (such as metadata) obtained by the device and needs to be written to the device. Assuming that the data length of the data to be written "data" is n, when the data length of the data to be written is equal to the length of the operation, that is, n is 10, all the data to be written can be written to the device; when the data length of the write data is greater than the length of the operation, that is, n is greater than 10, the first 10 bits of the data to be written can be written to the device, and the remaining data to be written that exceeds the length of the operation cannot be written to the device, that is, the data to be written with a remaining data length of (n-10) cannot be written to the device; when the data length of the write data is less than the length of the operation, that is, n is less than 10, after the data to be written is written to the device, the (10-n) bits of the remaining storage area where no data has been written can be written with 0.

[0194] As another example, the structure of the request input operation is represented as follows:

[0195] input(datatype=metadata, filter=device ID, memory bank=4, length=8, data) indicates a request to write 10 bits of metadata "data" to the 4th or 4th type storage area of ​​the terminal device with the device identifier "device ID".

[0196] The descriptions of "input," "datatype=metadata," "filter=device ID," "memory bank=4," "length=8," and "data" can be found in the previous example and are omitted. Unlike the previous example, this structure does not indicate the starting position of the operation; that is, the data write operation is performed according to the default starting position.

[0197] In step 502, the AF sends a first request message to the NEF. Correspondingly, the NEF receives the first request message from the AF.

[0198] For example, as shown in FIG3 , the AF may send a first request message to the NEF via the aforementioned N33 interface.

[0199] In step 503, the NEF determines M types of open capabilities corresponding to the M types of data.

[0200] After receiving the first request message from the AF, the NEF may determine, based on the first mapping relationship, the M open capabilities corresponding to the M types of data indicated by the M groups of information included in the first request message. For example, the NEF may determine the M open capabilities corresponding to the M types of data based on the first mapping relationship table shown in Table 1.

[0201] In one example, the first request message sent by the AF to the NEF includes two sets of information indicating the data requested to be output. An example of the structure representation of the first request message is as follows:

[0202] output((datatype=device ID, filter=area A), (datatype=device location, filter 1=device ID, filter 2=area B)).

[0203] The first request message includes a structure of requesting an output operation, wherein the requesting output operations in the structure include inventory and positioning. For example, the first request message includes two sets of information, and the two sets of information correspond to two open capabilities, namely inventory and positioning.

[0204] In step 504, the NEF sends N second request messages to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the N second request messages from the NEF.

[0205] The NEF may generate M second request messages based on the M open capabilities corresponding to the M groups of information and send them to the AMF. Alternatively, the NEF may generate one or more second request messages based on the open capabilities corresponding to some of the information. In this document, the number of second request messages is denoted as N, where N ≤ M and is a positive integer. In other words, the NEF may send N second request messages to the AFM, or in other words, the NEF may send no more than M second request messages to the AFM.

[0206] Authentication is necessary because, in some cases, the AF and third-party operators have predefined in their contracts or agreements which requested open capabilities can and cannot be executed. Therefore, the first request message sent by the AF to the NEF includes M open capabilities corresponding to M groups of information. The NEF can authenticate the received first request message. Specifically, the NEF authenticates the M open capabilities corresponding to the M groups of information contained in the first request message to determine whether the network has the authority to execute the M open capabilities, or in other words, whether the M open capabilities are allowed to be executed. In this case, assuming that N of the M open capabilities are allowed to be executed, the NEF can send N second request messages to the AMF, corresponding to each of the N open capabilities. It is understandable that the second request message is named to distinguish different sending and receiving network elements from the first request message, and does not mean that the N second request messages are identical. Requests for different open capabilities are sent through different second request messages.

[0207] When N is greater than 1, the NEF may send the N second request messages to the AMF as a whole, or may send the N second request messages to the AMF sequentially according to the execution order of the N open capabilities.

[0208] The execution order indicates the execution order of at least one open capability, and the execution order may be the execution order of multiple open capabilities pre-configured in the NEF, or the execution order may be determined by the NEF based on N open capabilities. This application does not limit this.

[0209] In a possible implementation, the NEF may determine the execution order of the N open capabilities according to the pre-configured execution order of the multiple open capabilities, and send the N second request messages to the AMF in sequence based on the determined execution order.

[0210] If the first request message received by the NEF includes M groups of information, each group of information also indicates the execution time to be executed, and the execution time conflicts with the execution order determined by the NEF, the NEF shall take the execution time to be executed indicated by each group of information contained in the first request message as the basis and send the group of information as the second request message to the AMF, that is, the execution time indicated by the AF has a higher priority.

[0211] The NEF may determine the execution order of the N open capabilities based on a preconfigured execution order of multiple open capabilities. The preconfigured execution order may be configured by the NEF before shipment, for example, according to a predefined order in the protocol, or according to user requirements. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0212] For example, the preconfigured execution order can be: execute open capabilities that request output first, then execute open capabilities that request input. For open capabilities that request output, the execution order can be inventory, read data, and locate. For open capabilities that request input, the execution order is write data first, followed by deactivation.

[0213] As another example, the pre-configured execution order can also be: write data, store data, read data, locate, and deactivate. That is, the corresponding open capabilities are executed in the order of write data, store data, read data, locate, and deactivate. The above pre-configured execution order is only an example, and other pre-configured execution orders can also be used. This application does not limit this.

[0214] In other words, the NEF may send two second request messages to the AMF in sequence according to a pre-configured execution order. For example, the NEF may first send the first second request message to the AMF to request an inventory of terminal devices within a certain area; and then send the second second request message to the AMF to request the location of a terminal device represented by a certain device identifier.

[0215] It should be understood that the NEF can generate a first second request message based on a set of information corresponding to the inventory in the first request message, and generate a second second request message based on a set of information corresponding to the positioning in the first request message; the NEF can also generate these two second request messages on its own. This application does not limit the specific content and structure of the second request message.

[0216] In another possible implementation, the NEF may determine the execution order of the N open capabilities according to the execution order indication information carried in the request message, and send the N second request messages to the AMF in sequence based on the execution order.

[0217] One possible design for the execution order indication information carried in the request message is: to indicate the execution order of the M requested open capabilities through a field outside the M groups of information; another possible design is to indicate the execution sequence number through a field in each group of information; and yet another possible design is to determine the execution order of the M open capabilities by sorting the M groups of information in the first request message.

[0218] When a field is used in each set of information to indicate an execution sequence number, the sequence number may be used to indicate the execution order of the open capability indicated by the set of information among the M open capabilities.

[0219] Exemplarily, the first request message received by the NEF includes two sets of information, one set of information indicating the data requested to be output, and the other set of information indicating the data requested to be input. An example of the structure representation of the first request message is as follows:

[0220] input(datatype=metadata(group ID), filter=area A, sequence 1),

[0221] output(datatype=device ID, filter 1=device ID field "group ID", filter 2=area B, sequence 2)

[0222] The first request message includes a structure requesting an output operation and a structure requesting an input operation. The output operation requested in the structure requesting the output operation includes inventory, and the input operation requested in the structure requesting the input operation includes write. For example, the first request message includes two sets of information corresponding to two open capabilities, namely inventory and location, and each set of information further indicates a sequence number.

[0223] For example, "sequence 1" indicates the sequence number indicated by the first set of information, indicating that the execution order of the two requested open capabilities indicated by the two sets of information is the first. "sequence 2" indicates the sequence number indicated by the second set of information, indicating that the execution order of the two requested open capabilities indicated by the two sets of information is the second. Therefore, the NEF can determine the execution order of the two open capabilities based on the sequence number indicated by each set of information.

[0224] After determining the execution order of the N open capabilities based on the first request message, the NEF may send N second request messages to the AMF in sequence. The specific process of the NEF sending N second request messages to the AMF in sequence can be found in the relevant description of the implementation above and will not be repeated here.

[0225] In step 505, the AMF sends the operation instruction to the wireless access network device according to the execution order. Accordingly, the wireless access network device receives the operation instruction from the AMF.

[0226] As mentioned above, the N second request messages sent by the NEF to the AMF can be used to request N open capabilities, which can correspond to N operations. The AMF can determine the operation object to be executed by each open capability request based on the N second request messages, and then determine the radio access network device that needs to perform the various operations based on the operation object, thereby sending different operation instructions to the corresponding radio access network device.

[0227] In one possible scenario, NEF does not consider the execution order of the N open capabilities corresponding to the N groups of information, and sends the N groups of information as N second request messages to AMF respectively. AMF decides the execution order of the N operation instructions corresponding to the N second request messages.

[0228] For example, when a set of information indicates an operation object as an area identifier, the AMF may determine the radio access network devices within the area covered by the area identifier based on the area identifier. It is understood that there may be one or more radio access network devices within the area covered by the area identifier, and the AMF may send corresponding operation instructions to one or more radio access network devices within the area covered by the area identifier.

[0229] For example, when a group of information indicates an operation object as a device identifier, the AMF can determine the wireless access network device to which the terminal device identified by the device identifier accesses based on the device identifier, and send corresponding operation instructions to the wireless access network device.

[0230] For example, when a group of information indicates multiple device identifiers for the operation object, the AMF can identify the wireless access network devices to which the terminal devices are connected according to the multiple device identifiers. It can be understood that the terminal devices identified by the multiple device identifiers may be connected to the same wireless access network device or to different wireless access network devices. The AMF can send corresponding operation instructions to one or more wireless access network devices to which the terminal devices identified by the multiple device identifiers are connected.

[0231] In step 506, the radio access network device executes a corresponding operation process in response to the received operation instruction to obtain feedback information.

[0232] The wireless access network device initiates an operation process to the terminal device determined as the operation object within its coverage area according to the received operation instruction.

[0233] In one example, a wireless access network device receives an operation instruction from an AMF to request positioning. The wireless access network device can send a reference signal to the terminal device of the determined operation object within its coverage area. The terminal device that receives the reference signal can send feedback measurement data of the reference signal to the wireless access network device, such as relative time of arrival (RTOA), angle of arrival (AOA) of the reference signal, reference signal receiving power (RSRP), etc. The wireless access network device determines the position of each terminal device based on the measurement data fed back by each terminal device.

[0234] In another example, a wireless access network device receives an operation instruction from the AMF requesting to write data. The wireless access network device may send a write request to a terminal device within its coverage area that is the target of the operation. The write request carries the requested data and an operation area, where the operation area is the storage area for the requested data. After receiving the write request, each terminal device may write the data to be written contained therein into its respective storage area. Optionally, each terminal device may also send feedback to the wireless access network device after the write is complete to indicate the completion of the write.

[0235] In another example, when a wireless access network device receives an operation instruction from the AMF requesting that a terminal device be deactivated, the wireless access network device may send a deactivation request to the terminal device within its coverage area that is the target of the operation. Upon receiving the deactivation request, the device state of the terminal device changes, indicating that the terminal device is deactivated. Optionally, each terminal device may also send a feedback result when the terminal device is in the deactivated state to indicate that the deactivation is complete.

[0236] In another example, a wireless access network device receives an operation instruction from an AMF to request an inventory of the device tag of a terminal device. The wireless access network device can send an inventory request to the terminal device that is the determined operation object within its coverage area. The terminal device that receives the inventory request can report its own device identification to the wireless access network device. The device identification is the feedback result of the inventory request.

[0237] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0238] Step 507: The radio access network device reports feedback information to the NEF. Accordingly, the NEF receives the feedback information from the radio access network device.

[0239] The wireless access network device may send the received feedback information directly to the AMF without processing it, or it may process it before sending it to the AMF.

[0240] Furthermore, the AMF sends the received feedback information to the NEF as a result of the requested open capability.

[0241] Optionally, the method further includes: step 508, the NEF determines an execution result based on the first request message sent by the AF.

[0242] The NEF may serve multiple AFs simultaneously. Each of the multiple AFs may send the aforementioned first request message to the NEF. It is understood that different AFs may be AFs of different enterprises. Therefore, the NEF may determine the corresponding execution result based on the first request message of each AF.

[0243] For example, when AFs of multiple enterprises simultaneously send first request messages to the NEF to request an inventory of devices of different brands, the NEF can distinguish and inventory the devices based on the device identifiers. The device identifiers of each brand can be determined based on standardized naming rules. For example, a device identifier of "Axx" represents a device of brand A, and a device identifier of "Bxx" represents a device of brand B. Based on the first request message sent by each AF, the NEF can filter out the device identifier of the brand requested by each AF from the multiple device identifiers of different brands received, and use the filtered device identifiers as the execution results to be sent to the AF.

[0244] From this point on, an operation instruction corresponding to an open capability is completed, and the remaining operation instructions can also be executed in sequence according to the execution order based on the aforementioned steps 504 to 508 until the last operation instruction is completed.

[0245] Optionally, the method further includes: step 509, the NEF sends the execution result to the AF. Correspondingly, the AF receives the execution result from the NEF.

[0246] The execution result can be used to indicate the execution results of various open capabilities requested by the AF. For example, when the AF requests an inventory, the device identification received by the AF is the execution result of the inventory request; when the AF requests a positioning request, the location information received by the AF is the execution result of the positioning request; when the AF requests a data read, the pre-stored device information received by the AF is the execution result of the read request, and so on.

[0247] Based on the above technical solution, the AF can send a request message in an open capability request. The request message can indicate the data types corresponding to the multiple open capabilities requested by the AF, so that after receiving the request message, the core network element (such as NEF) can determine the multiple open capabilities requested by the AF based on the multiple data types indicated in the request message, thereby reducing signaling overhead. At the same time, multiple open capabilities can be requested by sending a request message. After receiving the request message, the core network element (such as NEF) can reasonably plan the operation procedures of different open capabilities, thereby helping to improve network execution efficiency. Furthermore, the request message can also set multiple fields to expand the subsequent possible open capability requirements, thereby improving the scalability of the network open capability.

[0248] In a specific implementation, multiple service requests are implemented by the AF sending a first request message to the NEF. To facilitate understanding of the method provided in this application and its specific implementation, the following will describe the method provided in this application in more detail in conjunction with a communication system including an AF, a NEF, an AMF, a wireless access network device, and a terminal device.

[0249] The communication method 600 shown in Figure 6 may include steps 601 to 616. Each step in the method 600 is described in detail below.

[0250] In step 601, the AF generates a first request message, which is used to request to inventory, locate and write data.

[0251] Exemplarily, the first request message includes three sets of information, one set of which indicates the requested output device identifier, one set of which indicates the requested output device location, and another set of which indicates the requested input metadata (i.e., an example of the data to be written). An example of the first request message is as follows:

[0252] NEF_1_request(

[0253] output(datatype=device ID, filter=area),

[0254] output(datatype=device location, filter 1=device ID, filter 2=area A),

[0255] input(datatype=metadata, filter=device ID)

[0256] )

[0257] In the first request message, "output(datatype=device ID, filter=area)" indicates a request to output the device identifier within the area coverage area indicated by the area identifier "area", "output(datatype=device location, filter 1=device ID, filter 2=area A)" indicates a request to output the device location of the terminal device with the device identifier "device ID" within the area coverage area indicated by the area identifier "area A", and finally, a request is made to write metadata to the terminal device with the device identifier "device ID". Alternatively, another example of the first request message (NEF_1_request) is as follows:

[0258] NEF_1_request(

[0259] output((datatype=device ID, filter=area), (datatype=device location, filter 1=device ID, filter 2=area A)),

[0260] input(datatype=metadata, filter=device ID)

[0261] )

[0262] The first request message includes a structure requesting an output operation and a structure requesting an input operation. The output operation request structure includes two sets of information, indicating the requested output device identifier and the requested output device location, respectively. The input operation request structure includes a set of information indicating the requested input metadata. It is understood that in the output operation request structure, because both sets of information request output, the word "output" is reused.

[0263] In step 602, the AF sends a first request message to the NEF. Correspondingly, the NEF receives the first request message from the AF.

[0264] In step 603, the NEF determines the open capabilities requested with the first request message.

[0265] The first request message received by the NEF includes three groups of information. The data types of the three data indicated by the three groups of information are device identification and device location. Based on the first mapping relationship, the NEF can determine that the open capabilities corresponding to the three data types are inventory, positioning and writing data.

[0266] In step 604, the NEF determines the execution order of the three open capabilities based on the preconfigured execution order.

[0267] Illustratively, the execution order determined based on the preconfigured execution order is: first perform inventory, then perform positioning, and finally perform data writing.

[0268] In step 605, the NEF sends three second request messages to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the three second request messages from the NEF.

[0269] As mentioned above, the AMF can also be replaced with an AIoT NF network element, etc., and this application does not limit this. The embodiment of this application takes AMF as an example for illustration, and should not constitute any limitation to this application.

[0270] The first request message sent by the AF includes three sets of information, indicating the data types: device identification, device location, and data to be written. These three data types correspond to three open capabilities: inventory, location, and write data. After authentication by the NEF, the NEF determines that it has permission to execute these three open capabilities. Therefore, the NEF sends these three sets of information to the AMF as three second request messages, based on the determined execution order.

[0271] The three second request messages also include three data-related operation objects. For example, the second request message requesting inventory also indicates the area identifier, the second request message requesting positioning also indicates the device identifier and area identifier, and the second request message requesting writing data also indicates the device identifier.

[0272] In step 606, the AMF sends the inventory instruction to the wireless access network device. Accordingly, the wireless access network device receives the inventory instruction from the AMF.

[0273] Based on the operation object carried by the inventory request information in the second request message, that is, the area identifier "area", the AMF determines which wireless access network devices perform inventory operations within the area coverage represented by the area identifier "area", and then sends the inventory instruction to the wireless access network devices within the area coverage represented by the area identifier.

[0274] In step 607, the radio access network device executes a corresponding inventory process in response to the received inventory instruction to obtain feedback information.

[0275] For example, the radio access network device can trigger a terminal device to perform an inventory based on an inventory instruction, and transmit an inventory signal to terminal devices within the coverage range of the radio access network device. Based on the received inventory signal, the terminal device within the coverage range of the radio access network device reports a device identifier to the radio access network device. The device identifier serves as feedback information for the inventory request.

[0276] In step 608, the radio access network device reports the device identification to the NEF. Accordingly, the NEF receives the device identification from the radio access network device.

[0277] In step 609, the NEF determines the device identifier requested by the AF based on the first request message sent by the AF.

[0278] In step 610, the AMF sends a positioning instruction to the wireless access network device. Correspondingly, the wireless access network device receives the positioning instruction from the AMF.

[0279] In step 611, the wireless access network device responds to the positioning instruction and initiates a positioning process to obtain the device location of the terminal device. The specific implementation of the positioning process can be found in the relevant description of step 506 in method 500 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0280] In step 612, the wireless access network device reports the device location of the terminal device to the NEF.

[0281] In step 613, the NEF determines the device location requested by the AF based on the first request message sent by the AF.

[0282] In step 614, the AMF sends the write instruction to the wireless access network device. Accordingly, the wireless access network device receives the write instruction from the AMF.

[0283] In step 615 , the wireless access network device performs a write operation in response to the write instruction.

[0284] For example, the wireless access network device triggers the terminal device with the device ID "device ID" to write metadata. The specific implementation of the write operation can refer to the relevant description in step 506 of the above method 500, which will not be repeated here.

[0285] In step 616, the NEF sends the execution result to the AF. Correspondingly, the AF receives the execution result from the NEF.

[0286] For example, the execution result finally obtained by the NEF includes: the device identification obtained by inventory and the device location obtained by positioning. Optionally, the execution result also includes an indication that the terminal device has completed the write operation.

[0287] An example of the execution result is as follows:

[0288] NEF_response(device ID, device location) indicates that the execution result includes the device ID and device location.

[0289] Based on the above technical solution, the AF can send a request message in an open capability request. The request message can indicate the data types corresponding to the multiple open capabilities requested by the AF, so that after receiving the request message, the core network element (such as NEF) can determine the multiple open capabilities requested by the AF based on the multiple data types indicated in the request message, thereby reducing signaling overhead. At the same time, multiple open capabilities can be requested by sending a request message. After receiving the request message, the core network element (such as NEF) can reasonably plan the operation procedures of different open capabilities, thereby helping to improve network execution efficiency. Furthermore, the request message can also set multiple fields to expand the subsequent possible open capability requirements, thereby improving the scalability of the network open capability.

[0290] The communication method 700 shown in Figure 7 may include steps 701 to 712. Each step in the method 700 is described in detail below.

[0291] In step 701 , the AF generates a first request message for requesting to write metadata (ie, an example of data to be written) and the number of output devices.

[0292] After the AF determines that the open capabilities to be requested are write data and inventory, it can determine, based on the first mapping relationship, that the data types corresponding to the two open capabilities are data to be written and the number of devices, respectively. Furthermore, the AF generates a first request message based on the two data types. The first request message includes two sets of information, one set of which indicates that the requested input data is data to be written, and the other set of information indicates that the requested output data is the number of devices. An example of the first request message is as follows:

[0293] The structure of the first request message indicates that the request is to first write the group identifier "group ID" to the terminal device within the area coverage represented by the area identifier "area A", and then request to output the device location of the terminal device within the area coverage represented by the area identifier "area B" and with the device identifier "group ID". The device location is the execution result of the positioning.

[0294] In step 702, the AF sends a first request message to the NEF. Correspondingly, the NEF receives the first request message from the AF.

[0295] In step 703, the NEF determines two open capabilities corresponding to the two data.

[0296] The two data types included in the first request message received by the NEF are metadata and device quantity. The NEF can determine, based on the first mapping relationship, that the open capabilities corresponding to the two data types are write data and inventory.

[0297] In step 704, the NEF determines the execution order of the two open capabilities based on the execution order indication information carried in the first request message, that is, the sequence number indicated by each group of information included in the first request message.

[0298] As previously described, the execution order of writing data and making an inventory can be determined based on a sequence number indicated in a field other than the two sets of information included in the first request message. For example, the sequence number indicated in a field in the first request message is "1" for writing data and "2" for making an inventory. The NEF determines the execution order of the two open capabilities based on the indicated sequence numbers and sends the two second request messages to the AMF in sequence based on the determined execution order.

[0299] In step 705, the NEF sends two second request messages to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the two second request messages from the NEF.

[0300] As mentioned above, the AMF can also be replaced with an AIoT NF network element, etc., and this application does not limit this. The embodiment of this application takes AMF as an example for illustration, and should not constitute any limitation to this application.

[0301] The two sets of information included in the first request message sent by the AF correspond to two open capabilities: write data and inventory. After authentication by the NEF, the NEF determines that it has permission to execute these two open capabilities. Therefore, the NEF sends these two sets of information as two second request messages to the AMF.

[0302] The two second request messages also include two data-related operation objects. For example, the second request message requesting to write data also indicates the area identifier and sequence number, and the second request message requesting the device identifier also indicates the device identifier, area identifier and sequence number.

[0303] After receiving the two second request messages, the AMF determines that in the operation object of the second request message requesting to write data, the area coverage represented by the area identifier "area A" includes the coverage of multiple wireless access network devices, for example, the coverage of terminal device 1 of wireless access network device 1 and wireless access network device 2, so write instructions can be sent to wireless access network device 1 and wireless access network device 2 respectively.

[0304] In step 706a, the AMF sends the write instruction to the radio access network device 1. Accordingly, the radio access network device 1 receives the write instruction from the AMF.

[0305] Based on the write operation target indicated by the write request information included in the second request message, namely, the area identifier "area A," the AMF determines the radio access network device within the coverage area indicated by "area A" that needs to execute the write instruction. The AMF then sends the write instruction to the radio access network device within the coverage area indicated by the area identifier. In step 707a, radio access network device 1 executes the write operation in response to the received write instruction.

[0306] The wireless access network device 1 triggers the terminal devices within its coverage to write the group identifier "group ID" according to the write instruction.

[0307] Similar to steps 706a and 707a, in step 706b, the AMF sends a write instruction to radio access network device 2. Accordingly, radio access network device 2 receives the write instruction from the AMF; in step 707b, radio access network device 2 performs a write operation in response to the received write instruction.

[0308] Optionally, after completing writing the group identifier "group ID", each terminal device may send feedback information to the radio access network device to which it is connected to indicate that the writing is completed.

[0309] In step 708, the AMF sends the inventory instruction to the wireless access network device. Accordingly, the wireless access network device receives the inventory instruction from the AMF.

[0310] In step 709, the radio access network device executes a corresponding inventory process in response to the received inventory instruction to obtain feedback information.

[0311] Exemplarily, the wireless access network device triggers the terminal device to perform an inventory based on the inventory instruction, and sends an inventory signal to the terminal devices within the coverage range of the wireless access network device and with the group identifier "group ID"; the terminal devices within the coverage range "area B" and with the group identifier "group ID" report the device identifier to the wireless access network device based on the received inventory signal, and the device identifier is the feedback information requesting the inventory.

[0312] In step 710, the radio access network device reports its device identity to the NEF. Accordingly, the NEF receives the device identity from the radio access network device.

[0313] In step 711, the NEF counts the received device identifiers to obtain the number of devices.

[0314] In step 712, the NEF sends the execution result to the AF. Correspondingly, the AF receives the execution result from the NEF.

[0315] The execution result includes the number of devices counted by the NEF in step 711. Optionally, the execution result may also include device identifications.

[0316] An example of the execution result is as follows:

[0317] NEF_response(amount of device) indicates that the execution result is the number of devices.

[0318] Based on the above technical solution, the AF can send a request message in an open capability request. The request message can indicate the data types corresponding to the multiple open capabilities requested by the AF, so that after receiving the request message, the core network element (such as NEF) can determine the multiple open capabilities requested by the AF based on the multiple data types indicated in the request message, thereby reducing signaling overhead. At the same time, multiple open capabilities can be requested by sending a request message. After receiving the request message, the core network element (such as NEF) can reasonably plan the operation procedures of different open capabilities, thereby helping to improve network execution efficiency. Furthermore, the request message can also set multiple fields to expand the subsequent possible open capability requirements, thereby improving the scalability of the network open capability.

[0319] The communication method 800 shown in Figure 8 may include steps 801 to 807. Each step in the method 800 is described in detail below.

[0320] In step 801 , the AF generates a third request message, where the third request message is used to request an open capability for reading data and / or writing data.

[0321] The third request message may be the first request message exemplified in conjunction with Figures 5, 6, and 7 above, which may include M groups of information for requesting M open capabilities, for example, M being 2, for requesting the open capabilities of reading and writing data, or in other words, for requesting both reading and writing data. Alternatively, the third request message may be different from the first request message, and a single request message may be used to request one open capability. For example, the third request message may be a request message defined in the current 3GPP standard, and the open capability of reading or writing data may be requested through the third request message.

[0322] Since various possible examples of the first request message have been given above in conjunction with Figures 5, 6 and 7, no further examples will be given here. In the following process, the third request message is used to request an open capability as an example for description.

[0323] Exemplarily, if the third request message requests the acquisition of an open capability for reading or writing data, the third request message carries a set of data corresponding to the open capability for reading or writing data. The third request message may also carry an operation area for data associated with the open capability for reading or writing data, where the operation area includes a data storage area, a starting position for the operation, and a length.

[0324] Optionally, the third request message may also carry an operation object and / or execution time associated with the open capability requested to read or write data. For example, the third request message may also carry a region identifier.

[0325] In step 802, the AF sends a third request message to the NEF. Correspondingly, the NEF receives the third request message from the AF.

[0326] In step 803, the NEF sends a third request message to the core network element. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the third request message from the NEF.

[0327] After receiving the third request message, the NEF may send the third request message to the core network element. For example, the core network element may be an AMF or an AIoT NF network element, or a network element having the same or similar functions as the above two network elements, etc., and this application does not limit this.

[0328] For example, the data type indicated by the third request message sent by the AF can be: data stored in the device or data to be written. If the data type indicated by the third request message is data stored in the device, the third request message corresponds to an open capability request for reading data; if the data type indicated by the third request message is data to be written, the third request message corresponds to an open capability request for writing data. After authentication by the NEF, it is determined that the NEF has permission to execute the requested open capability. Therefore, the NEF sends the third request message to the core network element.

[0329] In step 804, the core network element sends the third request message to the radio access network device. Accordingly, the radio access network device receives the third request message from the core network element.

[0330] The core network network element determines which wireless access network devices perform read data operations or write data operations within the area coverage represented by the area identifier based on the operation object, i.e., the area identifier, carried by the data requested to read data or request to write data in the third request message, and then sends the read data instruction or write data instruction to the wireless access network devices within the area coverage represented by the area identifier.

[0331] In step 805, the radio access network device performs a corresponding read operation or write operation in response to the received read instruction or write instruction to obtain feedback information.

[0332] Exemplarily, the wireless access network device may trigger the terminal device to read data or write data according to the read instruction or write instruction indicated by the third request message, and send a read data signal or a write data signal to the terminal device within the coverage range of the wireless access network device.

[0333] The terminal device within the coverage of the wireless access network device reads the data stored in the device from the terminal device based on the operation area indicated in the received read data signal, or the terminal device within the coverage of the wireless access network device writes the data to be written into the storage area of ​​the terminal device based on the operation area indicated in the received write data signal.

[0334] Finally, the terminal device reports feedback information to the wireless access network device, where the feedback information indicates whether the execution of the read instruction or the write instruction is successful or failed.

[0335] Optionally, when the terminal device executes a read instruction, the feedback information may also indicate the data stored in the read device.

[0336] In step 806, the radio access network device reports feedback information to the NEF. Accordingly, the NEF receives the feedback information from the radio access network device.

[0337] In step 807, the NEF sends an execution result to the AF, where the execution result indicates whether the read data or write data operation requested by the AF is successfully completed or failed. Accordingly, the AF receives the execution result from the NEF.

[0338] Based on the above technical solution, AF clarifies more specific requirements for reading or writing data by indicating one or more of the data storage area, the starting position or the length of the operation in the third request message. Since the AIoT device itself may not be smart enough, indicating the operation area through the third request message is conducive to improving execution efficiency.

[0339] It should be understood that the request messages shown above in conjunction with Figures 5 to 8 are only examples. This application does not limit the type and quantity of open capabilities requested by each request message, nor does it limit the structure of the request message.

[0340] The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. Below, the device provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0341] Figures 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams of possible devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These devices can be used to implement the NEF or AF functions in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0342] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG9 , the device 900 includes a transceiver module 910 and a processing module 920 .

[0343] One possible design is that the device 900 is used to implement the function of NEF in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5 above, or the device can be used to implement the function of NEF in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6 above, or the device can also be used to implement the function of NEF in the method embodiment shown in Figure 7 above, or the device can also be used to implement the function of NEF in the method embodiment shown in Figure 8 above.

[0344] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 910 is used to receive a first request message from the AF, where the first request message includes M groups of information, where each group of information in the M groups of information indicates an input or output data, each data corresponds to an open capability, and each group of information is used to request the corresponding open capability, where M is a positive integer; the processing module 920 is used to determine the M open capabilities corresponding to the M groups of information; the transceiver module 910 is also used to send N second request messages to the core network network element, where the N second request messages correspond to N open capabilities, and the N open capabilities are the N open capabilities that need to be executed among the M open capabilities indicated by the M groups of information, where N is a positive integer less than or equal to M.

[0345] Optionally, each set of information further indicates an operation object associated with the data, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or an area identifier.

[0346] Optionally, each set of information further indicates an execution time associated with the data, where the execution time includes: immediately, at a scheduled time, or periodically.

[0347] Optionally, N>1, the transceiver module 910 is further configured to send the N second request messages to the core network element according to a preconfigured execution order, where the execution order indicates the order in which multiple open capabilities are executed.

[0348] Optionally, the M groups of information include one or more groups of information for requesting an open capability to read data and / or write data, and each group of information in the one or more groups of information further indicates an operation area associated with the data.

[0349] Optionally, the operation area includes one or more of the following: a storage area of ​​an operation object, a starting position or length of the operation, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or an area identifier.

[0350] Optionally, N>1, each group of information is also used to indicate a sequence number, and the sequence number indicated by each group of information represents the execution order of the requested open capability among the M types of requested open capabilities indicated by the M groups of information; the processing module 920 is also used to determine the execution order of the N types of open capabilities according to the sequence number indicated by each group of information; the transceiver module 910 is also used to send the N second request messages to the core network network element in sequence according to the execution order of the N types of open capabilities.

[0351] Optionally, the M open capabilities include one or more of the following: inventory, reading data, writing data, deactivation, or positioning.

[0352] Optionally, the first request message includes: a structure requesting an output operation and / or a structure requesting an input operation; the requested output operation includes one or more of the following: inventory, reading data or positioning, and the requested input operation includes one or more of the following: writing data or deactivation; in the M group of information, the M1 group of information indicating the requested input operation is included in the structure requesting the input operation, and the M2 group of information indicating the requested output operation is included in the structure requesting the output operation, M=M1+M2, M1 and M2 are integers greater than or equal to 0.

[0353] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 910 is also used to receive a third request message from the AF, where the third request message is used to request an open capability for a read operation or a write operation, and the third request message indicates an operation area of ​​the data associated with the open capability, where the operation area includes one or more of the following: the storage area of ​​the data, the starting position or length of the operation.

[0354] Optionally, the third request message further indicates an operation object associated with the open capability, where the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or an area identifier.

[0355] Optionally, the third request message further indicates an execution time associated with the open capability, where the execution time includes: immediately, at a scheduled time, or periodically.

[0356] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 is further configured to send the third request message to the core network element.

[0357] A more detailed description of the transceiver module 910 and the processing module 920 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant descriptions in the embodiments shown in Figures 5, 6, 7 or 8, and will not be repeated here.

[0358] Another possible design is that the device 900 is used to implement the function of AF in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5 above, or the device can be used to implement the function of AF in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6 above, or the device can also be used to implement the function of AF in the method embodiment shown in Figure 7 above, or the device can also be used to implement the function of NEF in the method embodiment shown in Figure 8 above.

[0359] Exemplarily, the processing module 920 is also used to generate a first request message, which includes M groups of information, each group of information in the M groups of information indicates an input or output data, each type of data corresponds to an open capability, and each group of information is used to request to obtain the corresponding open capability, where M is a positive integer; the transceiver module 910 is also used to send the first request message to the NEF.

[0360] Optionally, each set of information further indicates an operation object associated with the data, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or an area identifier.

[0361] Optionally, each set of information further indicates an execution time associated with the data, where the execution time includes: immediately, at a scheduled time, or periodically.

[0362] Optionally, the M groups of information include one or more groups of information for requesting an open capability to read data and / or write data, and each group of information in the one or more groups of information further indicates an operation area associated with the data.

[0363] Optionally, the operation area includes one or more of the following: a storage area of ​​an operation object, a starting position or length of the operation, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or an area identifier.

[0364] Optionally, M>1, and each group of information is also used to indicate a serial number. The serial number indicated by each group of information represents the execution order of the requested open capability among the M types of requested open capabilities indicated by the M groups of information. The serial number is used to determine the execution order of the M types of open capabilities.

[0365] Optionally, the M open capabilities include one or more of the following: inventory, reading data, writing data, deactivation, or positioning.

[0366] Optionally, the first request message includes: a structure requesting an output operation and / or a structure requesting an input operation; the requested output operation includes one or more of the following: inventory, reading data or positioning, and the requested input operation includes one or more of the following: writing data or deactivation; in the M group of information, the M1 group of information indicating the requested input operation is included in the structure requesting the input operation, and the M2 group of information indicating the requested output operation is included in the structure requesting the output operation, M=M1+M2, M1 and M2 are integers greater than or equal to 0.

[0367] Exemplarily, the processing module 920 is also used to generate a third request message, wherein the third request message is used to request the open capability of a read operation or a write operation, and the third request message indicates the operation area of ​​the data associated with the open capability, and the operation area includes one or more of the following: the storage area of ​​the data, the starting position or length of the operation; the transceiver module 910 is also used to send the third request message to the NEF.

[0368] Optionally, the third request message further indicates an execution time of the open capability association, where the execution time includes: immediately, at a scheduled time, or in a periodic period.

[0369] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 is further configured to send the third request message to the core network element.

[0370] A more detailed description of the transceiver module 910 and the processing module 920 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant descriptions in the embodiments shown in Figures 5, 6, 7 or 8, and will not be repeated here.

[0371] Figure 10 is another schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 10, device 1000 includes one or more processors 1010. The processor 1010 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, it can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the device (such as a vehicle or chip), execute software programs, and process software program data.

[0372] Optionally, in one design, processor 1010 may include a program (also referred to as code or instructions), which may be executed on processor 1010 to cause apparatus 1000 to perform the method performed by the NEF or AF in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, apparatus 1000 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG. 10 ) configured to implement the functionality of the NEF or AF in the above method embodiments.

[0373] Exemplarily, the processor 1010 may be configured to execute computer programs or instructions in the memory to implement the steps performed by the NEF or AF in the method embodiments shown in the embodiments of FIG. 5 , FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 .

[0374] Optionally, the device 1000 may include one or more memories 1020 on which programs (sometimes also referred to as codes or instructions) are stored. The programs can be run on the processor 1010, so that the device 1000 executes the method performed by the NEF or AF in the above embodiments.

[0375] Optionally, data may also be stored in the processor 1010 and / or the memory 1020. The processor and memory may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0376] Optionally, the apparatus 1000 may further include a communication interface 1030. The processor 1010 may also sometimes be referred to as a processing unit, which controls the apparatus (e.g., a RAN node or a terminal). The communication interface 1030 may also sometimes be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, etc., and is configured to implement the transceiver function of the apparatus. For example, the communication interface 1030 may be configured to receive a first request message from the AF.

[0377] Optionally, the apparatus 1000 further includes a communication interface 1030. The processor 1010 and the communication interface 1030 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 1030 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0378] When the apparatus 1000 is used to implement the method shown in FIG5, FIG6, FIG7, or FIG8, the processor 1010 may be used to execute the functions of the processing module 920, and the communication interface 1030 may be used to execute the functions of the transceiver module 910. Whether the communication interface 1030 is used for sending or receiving can be determined by whether the sending action or the receiving action is performed in the solution executed by the apparatus 1000.

[0379] When the apparatus 1000 is a chip used in an NEF, the chip implements the NEF functions described in the method embodiments. The NEF chip receives signals from other modules in the NEF (e.g., a radio frequency module or antenna), which may be signals sent from the AF to the NEF; or the NEF chip sends signals to other modules in the NEF (e.g., a radio frequency module or antenna), which may be signals sent from the NEF to the AF.

[0380] When the apparatus 1000 is a chip used in an AF, the chip implements the AF functions described in the method embodiments. The AF chip receives signals from other modules in the AF, which may be signals sent from the NEF to the AF; or the AF chip sends signals to other modules in the AF, which may be signals sent from the AF to the NEF.

[0381] It is understood that when the device 1000 is an NEF or AF, the communication interface 1030 may be a transceiver, specifically including a transmitter and a receiver, where the transmitter is used to transmit signals and the receiver is used to receive signals. When the device 1000 is a chip used in an NEF or AF, the communication interface 1030 may be an input / output circuit, where the input circuit can be used for receiving and the output interface can be used for transmitting.

[0382] It should be noted that the above method embodiments can be applied to or implemented by a processor. The processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or by software instructions.

[0383] The processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0384] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0385] The memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DRRAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0386] The present application also provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the NEF function or AF function involved in any one of the above method embodiments, for example, sending, receiving or processing the data and / or information involved in the above method.

[0387] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located inside or outside the processor.

[0388] The chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0389] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program is run, the method executed by the NEF in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8 is executed, or the method executed by the AF is executed.

[0390] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is executed, the method executed by the NEF in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 , FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 , or FIG. 8 is executed, or the method executed by the AF is executed.

[0391] The present application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned NEF and AMF. Optionally, the communication system also includes an AF.

[0392] The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, they can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic disk), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state drive (SSD)).

[0393] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0394] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0395] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0396] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0397] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0398] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving a first request message from an application function AF, the first request message comprising M groups of information, each group of information in the M groups of information indicating a type of input or output data, each type of data corresponding to an open capability, each group of information being used to request acquisition of a corresponding open capability, and M being a positive integer; Determine M open capabilities corresponding to the M groups of information; N second request messages are sent to a core network element, where the N second request messages correspond to N open capabilities, where the N open capabilities are N open capabilities that need to be executed among the M open capabilities indicated by the M group information, and N is a positive integer less than or equal to M.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Each set of information further indicates an operation object associated with the data, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or an area identifier.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that Each set of information also indicates the execution time of the data association, and the execution time includes: immediately, at a scheduled time, or in a cycle.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The M sets of information include one or more sets of information for requesting an open capability to read data and / or write data, and each set of information in the one or more sets of information further indicates an operation area associated with the data.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The operation area includes one or more of the following: a storage area of ​​an operation object, a starting position or a length of an operation, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier or an area identifier.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that N>1, sending N second request messages to the core network element includes: The N second request messages are sent to the core network element according to a preconfigured execution order, where the execution order indicates a sequence of executing multiple open capabilities.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that N>1, each group of information further indicates a sequence number, and the sequence number indicated by each group of information represents the execution order of the requested open capability among the M types of requested open capabilities indicated by the M groups of information; The sending N second request messages to the core network element includes: Determining the execution order of the N open capabilities according to the sequence number indicated by each group of information; The N second request messages are sent to the core network element in sequence according to the execution order of the N open capabilities.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The M open capabilities include one or more of the following: inventory, read data, write data, deactivate or locate.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first request message includes: a structure requesting an output operation and / or a structure requesting an input operation; the requesting an output operation includes one or more of the following: the inventory, the reading of data or the positioning, and the requesting an input operation includes one or more of the following: the writing of data or the deactivation; in the M group of information, the M1 group of information indicating the requesting an input operation is included in the structure requesting an input operation, and the M2 group of information indicating the requesting an output operation is included in the structure requesting an output operation, M=M1+M2, M1 and M2 are integers greater than or equal to 0.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Generate a first request message, the first request message including M groups of information, each group of information in the M groups of information indicates a type of input or output data, each type of data corresponds to an open capability, each group of information is used to request to obtain the corresponding open capability, and M is a positive integer; The first request message is sent to a network open function NEF.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that Each set of information further indicates an operation object associated with the data, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier, or an area identifier.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that Each set of data also indicates an execution time associated with the data, and the execution time includes: immediately, at a scheduled time, or in a cycle.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The M sets of information include one or more sets of information for requesting an open capability to read data and / or write data, and each set of information in the one or more sets of information further indicates an operation area associated with the data.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The operation area includes one or more of the following: a storage area of ​​an operation object, a starting position or a length of an operation, and the operation object includes one or more of the following: a device identifier, a group identifier or an area identifier.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that M>1, each group of information further indicates a serial number, the serial number indicated by each group of information represents the execution order of the requested open capability among the M types of requested open capabilities indicated by the M groups of information, and the serial number is used to determine the execution order of the M types of open capabilities.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that The M open capabilities include one or more of the following: inventory, read data, write data, deactivate or locate.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The first request message includes: a structure requesting an output operation and / or a structure requesting an input operation; the requesting an output operation includes one or more of the following: the inventory, the reading of data or the positioning, and the requesting an input operation includes one or more of the following: the writing of data or the deactivation; in the M group of information, the M1 group of information indicating the requesting an input operation is included in the structure requesting an input operation, and the M2 group of information indicating the requesting an output operation is included in the structure requesting an output operation, M=M1+M2, M1 and M2 are integers greater than or equal to 0.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or the method comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 17.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: comprising a processor and a memory, wherein: The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is configured to call the computer program so that the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 17 is executed.

20. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 17 is executed.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that The invention comprises a computer program, which, when being executed, causes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 to be performed, or causes the method according to any one of claims 10 to 17 to be performed.

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